Dover police chief James E. Hosfelt will retire next month after four years leading the force of Delaware's second-largest city.

Mayor Carleton Carey plans to name Hosfelt's successor from within the department before his April 4 departure, city police said Wednesday. The three eligible candidates are Maj. Paul Bernat and two captains, Timothy Stump and Robert Scott, police said.

Hosfelt, 53, who has been on the force for a quarter-century, told officers and other staff of his plans Tuesday. He plans to seek a job in private industry, but stressed that it won't be in the law enforcement field. "I've had enough of that,'' he said.

Dover police have 93 officers and 31 civilian employees for the city of 37,000.

Hosfelt said he has been exploring other options for about a year because under city police rules he must retire at age 55. He said his retirement has nothing to do with a current investigation of a Dover officer over his use of force in an August arrest.

Hosfelt said he has enjoyed his career and said violent crime has decreased the last three years in Dover, though the city's violent crime per capita is still nearly twice the national average, FBI statistics show.

"I've always said we have the same issues as the city of Wilmington on a smaller scale, because of the difference in our size,'' Hosfelt said. Wilmington, one of the most violent cities in America, per capita, in recent years, has about twice as many people as Dover.

Hosfelt, whose annual salary is $120,000, said he has accumulated about 1,200 hours – nearly eight months – of unused sick time that he will be paid upon his retirement. Beyond finding a private-sector job for the first time as an adult – he was in the Air Force before becoming a cop – Hosfelt also said he plans to complete his degree in criminal justice.

David Gist, a Dover police master corporal and president of the Dover Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 15, issued a statement thanking Hosfelt for his "25 years of dedicated service'' to the force and Dover residents.

During his career, Hosfelt has grappled with complaints about the force's treatment of black residents, but also has been credited with working with the minority community to improve interactions with police and recruiting more women to the force.

Richard Smith, president of the Delaware NAACP, said he has worked on various issues with Hosfelt in recent years. "He is a good guy,'' Smith said.